007 News

Sad news from the James Bond world today. English actor Sir Roger Moore passed away at the age of 89.

Moore starred in a total of seven James Bond films, more than any other actor (unless you count the non-EON film Never Say Never Again (1983) in which Sean Connery played 007 for the seventh time).

His films include Live and Let Die (1973), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), and A View To A Kill (1985).

Moore was recently ranked the best James Bond by Esquire out of the six actors who have been part of the film franchise that began in 1962.

“His portrayal of Bond was the furthest from Fleming’s vision, which is why—despite a few shortfalls—his is the best version of the role,” said Esquire.

Sir Roger Moore will surely be missed. He brought a level of humor to the role of 007 that had not been evident with Sean Connery or George Lazenby. He was suave, cool, and a true English gentleman in real life as well on screen.

Here’s what we know so far about Bond 25, the 25th film in the EON Productions franchise based on the novelist Ian Fleming.

Title

We don’t have an official title for the 25th James Bond film, but we do know about major cast members, the filmmakers, and the start date for principal photography. Here’s what we know so far.

Synopsis

Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

At a live event in Jamaica today to announce the official start of principal photography on April 28, it was revealed the next James Bond Girl would be 30-year old Cuban actress Ana de Armas. Best known in the US for her role as Joi in Blade Runner 2049, de Armas has starred in other films such as War Dogs, Exposed, and Hands of Stone. Nothing else has been revealed about her role in Bond 25, not even her character’s name. We should also note it hasn’t even been confirmed that she is actually a “Bond Girl”. But it’s likely she will play the role of a villainess woman, girlfriend to a villain (maybe Rami Malek), or British agent in the film. We do know that along with Daniel Craig, other women appearing in Bond 25 include Léa Seydoux a Madeleine Swann and Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny — both returning to previous roles in the franchise. Here’s a tweet from Harris confirming the actors at the production launch.

It’s been over three years since Spectre released to theaters in November, 2015. As it stands, it will be close to five years before the next Bond film premieres! That’s a long time waiting, but hopefully it will be worth it! Here is the release date, working title, and director for Bond 25 — all of which could change at any time!

Release Date

We’ve now got a new release date for Bond 25, which is slated for April 8, 2020 (it was pushed forward from Feb. 2020 and earlier from Nov. 2019). It wouldn’t surprise anyone though if it got pushed even further to November 2020, the month of the year when the last four films have released. By then it will be holiday season when plenty of folks go out to the movies.

Bond 25 Working Title

We just heard the working title for Bond 45 is “Shatterhand” — but that’s gotta be just a working title, or at least we hope. Shatterhand is just too goofy to be the final name, although the two-syllable one-word title follows the pattern of the last two Bond films Skyfall and Spectre.

Bond 25 Director

After several shakeups including Slumdog Millionaire-director Danny Boyle choosing not to head the film, producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli asked Cary Joji Fukunaga to direct Bond 25. Fukunaga directed the Netflix film Beasts of No Nation starring Idris Elba, and Jane Eyre starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender. He has also worked on the first season of HBO’s True Detective and the Netflix series Maniac.

“We are delighted to be working with Cary,” producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said in a statement. “His versatility and innovation make him an excellent choice for our next James Bond adventure.”

You can scratch Danny Boyle off your webpage, IMDB, the director has chosen not to head the next James Bond film citing “creative differences.”

Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli and Bond actor Daniel Craig announced the decision on the the official James Bond Twitter account today, which unless the account was hacked you can pretty much write it in stone.

The upcoming installment of the Bond franchise, like many before, has not been without controversy. It first started when Daniel Craig made it clear he would never do another Bond film after Spectre, but has obviously reneged on his threats.

Veteran Bond screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade had originally been set to write the film, but when Boyle was brought on the job went to Trainspotting writer and long-time collaborator John Hodge.

‘Bond 25’ was originally scheduled for release in November, 2019, and shooting was to begin in December, but with no director who knows how long it will be before production starts. And, will there be a re-write?

Check out this Twitter Poll asking tweeters who the next Bond director should be.

With Danny Boyle out for Bond 25, who should direct the next 007 film?